Angus Brayshaw may have played his way into the Demon’s first-round squad

It looks like Angus Brayshaw may have played his way onto Melbourne’s squad for the first round of the upcoming AFL season after the midfielder played another strong game in the VFL. Melbourne’s top brass watched him play for the Casey Scorpions and he impressed them with 26 disposals in their defeat to Williamstown in a recent practice match. The 19-year-old also kicked the Scorpions’ opening goal in the first quarter. Brayshaw sat out the Demons’ NAB Challenge matches after taking a couple of knocks to the head during training, but he’s now played a trio of VFL contests and he may have done enough to crack the opening lineup when Melbourne takes on Gold Coast at the MCG on April 4. Fans and bettors can wager on this match with a CrownBet AFL Bonus Bet.

Josh Mahoney, the Demons’ football manager told the media,

“We were happy Angus continued his form that he’s had the last couple of weeks with Casey. He again played another strong game through the midfield and also kicked some goals in a good contribution. The positive signs at the moment is there will be some interesting decisions at match committee this week with a number of guys who have been in good form and Angus will certainly be one of those guys in the squad and in the discussions.”

Bernie Vince

Brayshaw was chosen with Melbourne’s third pick in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft and Mahoney feels he’s in good enough condition to battle for a roster spot for the season opener. Mahoney said it was important that he played on the weekend and with three VFL games under his belt Brayshaw is now in match condition. However, he added that it’s up to the match committee to decide whether he’s named to the squad or not. Another midfielder who’s in contention for a spot on the team is Bernie Vince, who made his first appearance of the preseason with the Scorpions. Vince has been recovering from a hamstring injury, but he had six tackles and 12 disposals for the VFL team and played well alongside Brayshaw. Don’t forget to take advantage of a CrownBet AFL Bonus Bet during the 2015 footy campaign.

The 29-year-old Vince placed third in the voting for the best and fairest award for the Demons last year after joining the team from Adelaide. Another Demon with a hamstring problem is forward Jeremy Howe and he’s also under consideration for his side’s first round game. Mahoney said he’ll see how good Howe looks in training this week before making a decision on him. He added that Howe was able to participate in most of the squad’s preseason before his hamstring injury and he’s also in match shape. This is good news for Demons’ supporters who want to back their team with a CrownBet AFL Bonus Bet. Mahoney mentioned that other Demons’ players who impressed him in the recent AFL outing were Jay Kennedy-Harris, Viv Michie, Aaron vandenBerg and Dean Kent.